Gordon back on track

JENNA FRYERAP Sports Writer

Published Thursday, October 23, 2003

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A shot at a fifth Winston Cup title slipped away from Jeff Gordon in July when poor pit strategy ruined his race in New Hampshire. The eight-race slide that followed sent him plummeting in the points standings.

He was a mere afterthought by late September, forced to defend the strength of his team and reiterate his confidence in his crew chief.

Down but never really out, a late-season surge has Gordon back on the winning track.

Gordon won his second race of the season last week, and a string of five consecutive top five finishes has put him within striking distance of second place in the standings. He's still in sixth place, but trails Kevin Harvick for second by just 106 points with four races remaining.

"I really hate that we had that August and part of September like we did," Gordon said.

"I'd love to be up there battling for that championship, but that kind of took us back a little bit. We're just fighting back as hard as we can to win races and finish the season on a positive note."

The slide began in July, when Gordon led a race-high 133 laps in New Hampshire only to finish 24th after a gamble on pit road backfired. He left the track at an all-time emotional low, all too aware that his chase for the championship had just taken a substantial hit.

"I'm just so devastated in our own performance right now," he said as he wearily exited the track that day. "I'm completely in shock and I'm just completely drained from the devastation."

Things only got worse from there. He started from the pole in New Hampshire in August, but was spun out on the first lap, then battled back into second before getting spun out again as he headed to the finish line low on gas. He finished 33rd.

A mechanical problem the next week left him 30th, he started from the pole the following week in Bristol only to wreck and finish 28th, and an accident with Casey Mears left him 32nd in the Southern 500.

By his second trip to New Hampshire in September -- when he spun out on pit road and hit some of teammate Jimmie Johnson's crew members -- Gordon was in the middle of a full slump and had slipped to a season-low sixth in the standings.

Frustration for the No. 24 team was at an all-time low. But Gordon, who dealt with a divorce while struggling through a 31-race winless streak last season, fought through it.

"As a teammate and a friend, I can tell you he doesn't get rattled by much," Johnson said. "By everything we've seen with his personal life and his career, you can't get inside his head and that's one of the big strengths Jeff Gordon has."

So Gordon forged ahead, confirming his support for crew chief Robbie Loomis.

Despite guiding Gordon to his fourth Winston Cup title in 2001, Loomis has struggled to build the steady consistency Gordon was known for while winning his first three championships.

When the questions started coming about his confidence in Loomis' leadership, Gordon laughed.

"It's just ridiculous," he said. "I'm thrilled with Robbie being in there."

The duo has even turned it around.

Gordon has led a series-high 1,580 laps this year and last week continued his streak of 10 consecutive seasons with multiple victories.

The victory at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway took away any pressure the team had been under, and allowed Gordon and his crew to relax as they head into the final month of the season.

"It was awesome to see the look on Robbie's face and the guys on the team and how excited they were," Gordon said.

"You can have all the pep talks in the world and pat one another on the back and you can even pay them a bunch of money, and nothing is like getting to Victory Lane."